Five Essential Considerations in Growing Roses in Pots

Some people would say that growing roses in containers is never easier than just digging a big enough hole into the ground and sticking a rose in it. What’s the use for pots, after all, when planting the roses straight into the ground is a much easier thing to do? Well, as a matter of fact, containers are a very valuable venue for growing roses. Once you get to know the reasons why many gardeners like to grow their roses in containers, you will probably want to grow some of your own roses in pots yourself. Before we teach you how to grow roses in containers, we will first give you four good reasons why you should.

Four Reasons to Use Containers

  1. Not least of all the reasons to use a container for your roses is the fact that you can move pots and baskets and tubs and all sorts of containers around. Imagine hearing a sudden nearing hailstorm on the news and you suddenly worry for your roses. You won’t have time to protect them from the hail, but you have ample time to move them inside your garage or basement.
  2. Tired of the same old look your garden has been donning for ages? Then it’s time to re-landscape your garden. And that is especially easy if you can carry your rose plants in one lift and transfer them to other places.
  3. If gophers, moles, or other kinds of burrowing pests are disturbing the peace in what could have been good planting ground for your roses, then it is always better to pot a huge amount of soil and other organic materials where you can grow your roses rather than risk your beloved plant roots being eaten by those pesky creatures.
  4. A tree is always a good thing, right? Wrong. Not especially if the tree grows too close to your roses and the roots are sucking away all the water and the nutrients in the soil, leaving nothing for your plants. You don’t want to fell the tree, either, especially if it isn’t yours in the first place. The solution? Leave the tree in peace and plant your roses in pots.

Are you convinced yet? If so, then let’s get started with learning the art of growing roses in pots. Actually, you can choose any kind of container, may it be a pot (It is the most common container used), tub, trough, hanging basket, barrel, or anything else you can think of. Here are five considerations for growing roses in containers.

The Container

As we’ve discussed above, there are many types of containers according to their form. We can also classify them according to the material of which they are made: wood, plastic, ceramic, clay, terra cotta, and even biodegradable fiber. The key to choosing the best container for your roses is finding out which is big enough for them and provides good soil drainage. Miniature roses, which are most commonly the ones potted, will have enough room to grow in 5-gallon pots, while larger floribundas, grandifloras, shrubs, and climbers need something as big as a 15-gallon pot. If you want to stay on budget, plastic pots are your best bet because they last longer than any of the other containers, retain water the most easily, and do not crack easily in cold weather.

The Soil

Prepare the container by layering the bottom with an inch of gravel or small rocks to serve as drainage and prevent the soil at the bottom from hardening. Then fill the pot with a third of potting soil, a third of high-quality garden compost, and a third of steer manure. Add one cup of bonemeal, perlite, fishmeal, and bloodmeal to increase the nutrients in the soil. When the soil is two-thirds up the container, it’s time to plant your roses and cover until the soil has reached the brim. It is important that it reaches the edge of the container because the soil becomes compacted over time.

Watering

Container roses drain easily, even if you are using plastic pots. Therefore, it is important that you water them more often than your plants grown on the ground. Water your roses the moment you plant them and make sure that you follow this up thoroughly afterwards. To see if your roses need watering again, simply dig your finger three inches deep into the soil. If it is dry, then water it; if it is wet, don’t.

Fertilizing

It is important that you feed your rose plants only when they are wet. Trust us—you don’t want to burn them all by fertilizing when dry. As they need more frequent watering, container roses also need more feeding. We do not recommend using a stronger solution, though. Feed them once a week during show season and two times every month after that with fish emulsion, Epsom salts, alfalfa pellets or a commercially available fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro or Grow More. 

Further Caring

You need to transfer the roses to another container every three years or so because the soil in your pots has, by then, accumulated insoluble salts from the fertilizers. To transfer, simply insert a knife into the sides of the pot to loosen up the soil. You also want to remember that even potted roses need a regular dose of pruning. Fortunately, if you are familiar with how to prune ground roses, then you wouldn’t have any problems with pruning potted ones.

If growing roses in pots is one of the next plans for your garden, then it’s a good thing you came across this article. Our aim is to show you a thorough outline on how to grow roses in containers. We have one request to make, though. Send some of your roses to friends—you don’t know how much a surprise present to remind your friends that you are thinking of them will make them happy. A potted rose makes an excellent gift.